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Why it doesn't matter whether the long-lost Nazi gold train is ever found

According to legend, the Nazis packed a train with gold at the end of World War II. It has never been found. A German-Polish excavation team is convinced it will find it. But for local residents, the legend is enough.

"What are they digging for over there?" A group of residents has gathered at the fence. An elderly lady in a light blue tank top grumbles loudly. Not much can be seen through the trees and bushes - except for two excavators that are digging.

Curious visitors come to the site every day

In Walbrzych, Poland, digging has been going on for centuries. People used to dig for coal, but now they are looking for the legendary gold train of the Nazis.

"I wouldn't mind finding a gold bar. It would help me renovate my house," jokes a pensioner. "The Germans are already waiting to finding out what happened to their treasures." The bystanders laugh.

Again and again, cars drive up to the digging site. Residents and tourists have been standing there for hours - even if nothing can be seen. Everyone brings their own theory to the fence, keeping the legend of the special train alive.

The Nazis are said to have sent the train from Wroclaw to Walbrzych, which was then known as Waldenburg, in the last days of the war. Supposedly packed with gold and art treasures, the train never arrived.

According to a legend, the train disappeared into a mountain tunnel between Wroclaw and Walbrzych as the Germans fled the area at the end of World War II. Geologists have doubted the claim, but some Polish officialshave supported the dig.

Daily updates for locals and tourists

Shortly before 6:00 p.m. a lot of cars arrive at the empty parking lot next to the excavation site, where a press conference is to be held. While no one is allowed to enter the premises, the German-Polish historian team Piotr Koper and Andreas Richter, together with a spokesperson, come to present the latest results to the Polish and international press three times a day.

Today they have brought various chunks of rock in a plastic bag. "We have hit seven meters below the surface and have found material that is not natural." Most likely it was mud coal used to seal the tunnels, they theorize.

A lot has been dug up, but no gold so far...

All the visitors all have the same questions: How expensive is the excavation? "500,000 zloty," say the project managers. That's the equivalent of 116,000 euros or $131,000.

The dig is being financed by private sponsors, they explain. And a small local restaurant brings food for up to 40 workers daily.

There have not yet been any signs of the tunnel where the train is said to have disappeared, let alone the train itself. What will they do if they don't find it? "Then we'll know that this is just a myth," reply Koper and Richter.

A concrete plan

The excavation is taking place in three areas that were previously determined using ground penetrating radar. Besides rocks, a bit of porcelain has been found, but there has been no sign of a tunnel let alone the mysterious special train.

Nevertheless, the amateur historians are not giving up that easily. "We are not as interested in the gold train as in the story behind it," says Christel Focken, the spokesperson for the private excavation.

Focken explains that "165 cubic meters have not been explored yet. The garage of the train is where we suspect the train."

The historian is new to digs, but has probably spent far more hours in tunnels, galleries and bunkers than many others. She also offers guided tours around Walbrzych and the nearby area where another yet unfound Nazi legend is said to be located: the Führer's headquarters.

Christel Focken offers guided tours in and around Walbrzych

The tunnel where the train may be could serve as an entrance gate to the headquarters. "Of course you'd expect to find a set table, which was left when people had to flee," says Focken.

However, it is more likely that everything is under water. The National Chairman of the Association of private historians estimates that up to 40,000 forced laborers had to work on this construction project. "Maybe we will find some bodies, which could finally be buried."

'We have already found the train'

Anna Zabska has already found her gold train. She is the director of the cultural park "Stara Kopalnia," which was opened in 2013, and says its revenue has increased by 30 percent. The park includes an artfully revitalized mine.

Walbrzych was one of the most important mining centers in Poland, but the mines here, like in the Ruhr area in Germany, have been gradually closed in recent decades. Today the region has one of the highest unemployment rates. "Stara Kopalnia" honors the regions history, provides office spaces for non-governmental organizations and conferences, and invites the city's residents to major events several times a year.

"If one gold train were found here, we would love to exhibit it. The tracks run directly here," says Zabska. She already ordered t-shirts, bags and mugs with an imaginary image of the gold train on it. "Online orders are now coming from all over the world," she says.

The excavation is subject to weather conditions

A new identity for Walbrzych

Exactly one year ago, the amateur historians had announced that they knew the location of the lost train. Since then, scientists at the University of Krakow have visited the site, conducted tests, and concluded that the train is not there.

Zabska sees no problem in that: "In our region, there is so much that can be discovered. It does not matter where you start digging, you will always find something."

Whether the gold train is found or not doesn't matter that much - for the people of Walbrzych it has already become a part of their identity.

Click through the gallery below for more legendary treasures that have never been found.

Seven legendary treasures

Sunken city

First, we're off to Atlantis, antiquity's most sumptuous and magnificent city. If only it hadn't sunk to the bottom of the sea some 11,000 years ago. Or so they say. For centuries, researchers and hobby divers have been searching for evidence of that grandiose place under the waves. After all, its existence wasn't just invented by some drunk sailor, but claimed by Greek philosopher Plato himself.

Seven legendary treasures

Lost in the fog of war

Next stop is Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg, where one look at the reproduction of the Amber Room shows why many considered it to be the 8th Wonder of the World. During World War II, the original was packed into 28 boxes by the occupying German army and shipped to Königsberg Castle, only to go missing. Only a few sections resurfaced, while the rest was lost in the chaos of the war.

Seven legendary treasures

Sacred treasure

On to South America, and the Treasure of Lima. In 1820, with resistance against Spanish colonial rule growing, Peru's governor and the Church hurried to rescue their riches. That included a gold statue of the Virgin Mary, decorated with 1,700 jewels. It's said to be hidden on Cocos Island - a legend that Robert Louis Stevenson turned into his novel "Treasure Island," later a film by Orson Welles.

Seven legendary treasures

Immeasurable value

God Himself is said to have ordered the Israelites to craft the Ark of the Covenant out of acacia wood some 3,000 years ago. It was used to transport the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. Experts think the ark disappeared around 2,600 years ago, and that it could be lying beneath Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In archaeological terms, its very existence has yet to be proven.

Seven legendary treasures

River riches

Back to Germany now, where hidden treasures are waiting to be discovered on the bottom of the Rhine River near the city of Worms - at least according to the epic 13th century poem, the Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs). Hagen von Tronje is said to have dumped 12 trucks full of jewels and gold into the river. Countless divers have searched for the legendary treasure - so far, without success.

Seven legendary treasures

Miraculous and mysterious

People have been searching for the Holy Grail - the chalice Jesus is said to have used during the Last Supper - since the legendary time of King Arthur in the 12th century. When Christ was crucified, it's said one of his disciples caught some of his blood in the cup. Among those who searched for the grail were Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in the 1989 film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Seven legendary treasures

Happiness at rainbow's end

This last legend tells of a man convinced there must be a treasure at the end of the rainbow. After a long, exhausting search, he becomes so unhappy that he gives up - only to find himself at the end of the rainbow. Only then does he understand that the treasure he was searching for was within him all along: happiness. And maybe that's something all those adventurers the world over have in common.